Okay, so it wasn’t summer, officially, but it sure felt like it as we headed up to Deseret Peak. It felt strange to be driving across the desert of the Tooele Valley at 2 in the morning with skis in the back and bikes on the rack. The forecast high temperature for the day was…
Category: Backcountry
Farming corn in Farmington Canyon
Spring is in full swing and the backcountry skiing is literally getting soft and bare. Despite that, there is still good skiing up there as long as you wake up early enough to make turns before the high sun turns corn snow into mush. One zone that I’ve had my eye on all year, Farmington…
Coon Hat ski touring on Mount Tukuhnikivatz and Mount Mellenthin
Adam was all kinds of excited. It was 3am. We were at a truck stop in Salina, Utah. The Yurt-on-Wheels was loaded up with our ski gear and we were en-route to the La Sal Mountains for some backcountry skiing on Mount Tukuhnikivatz and Mount Mellenthin. But the source of Adam’s excitement wasn’t about the…
Pieps Show: Avalanche Level 1 Certification Course
Do you find yourself drooling during late spring storms when fresh white flakes fall from the sky by the feet, but are saddened because most resorts are closed? How are you going to visit the white room? Learn how to earn your turns safely and you can slide around Wasangeles until the trails turn to…
Friday Video: Flying/Skiing the Henry Mountains in Southern Utah
Last week I posted a trip report about our backcountry ski adventure to the Henry Mountains. One of our crew, Jon Strickland, brought along a speed wing and chose to fly off the mountains rather than do something as pedestrian as snowboard. He also brought his GoPro. Well, the video is finished, it’s called, “Flying/Skiing…
Boards, bikes and beer in the Henry Mountains
Spring in Southern Utah is the best time of year for outdoor adventure. Sure, winter is better for skiing, fall is arguably best for mountain biking and climbing, but spring is the only time you can do it all at once. We had one such trip of variety when we went backcountry skiing, mountain biking,…
Salomon Tour Jacket review
In my opinion, a backcountry touring jacket needs a few things: simplicity of style, a large hood, light weight, moisture resistance and excellent breathability. So when I found out that Salomon made a jacket called the “Tour” my ears perked up like a German Shepherd who’s owner just said the “W” word. When I got…
Sunrise service and ski turns on Mount Nebo
I’m not a religious man, except when it comes to the outdoors. Sure it’s a common phrase, but to say that the mountain is my church, well, by Ullr that’s the truth. So on Easter Sunday, instead of sitting in a stuffy chapel on hard benches, we ascended into the cathedral of Mount Nebo for…
Salomon Quest Max BC 120 ski boot review
Salomon is an alpine ski company that has seriously ramped up their backcountry game in recent years. From the Salomon Quest 12 ski boots, to the Salomon Guardian 16 binding, they’ve made their presence known in the ski-touring world. Well next season, the company is raising the bar with the new Salomon Quest Max BC…
Utah Avalanche Center has new iPhone app
Avalanche awareness has gotten high tech thanks to the Utah Avalanche Center, which just released a new app for iPhone and iPad. The app has everything you’d expect to see and contains information you’ll want to know before heading into the backcountry. According to the UAC, the app includes: UAC advisories Avalanche observations NOAA weather…